


Sugar and Spice

by PorcelainLove



Series: The Adventures of Smoldyn Izunia [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cursing (mild), De-aged Ardyn, Gen, Gladio POV, Kissing, M/M, Misunderstandings, Sexual references (mild), Toddlers don't mince words, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 12:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14568801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelainLove/pseuds/PorcelainLove
Summary: Who knew something as simple as baking cookies could hurt someone's feelings?





	Sugar and Spice

**Author's Note:**

> Fangirl_Shenanigans, thank you for your idea! Prompt! Suggestion? I hope this is close to what you expected when I told you I'd run with it. xD
> 
> And for everyone who reads this, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

“I’m hungry.”

Ardyn’s pitiful voice was accompanied by a tummy growl that could have been mistaken for that of a tiny kitten, apropos given the kid’s size.  And while Gladio wasn’t enamoured by cats (they often seemed to mistake his bulk for a scratching post), he had to admit that Ardyn’s feline-like qualities of loving milk and falling asleep in the sunshine were painfully adorable.

Gladio looked around the living room and saw he and Ardyn were alone.  He must have zoned out because the last time he’d actually looked up from his book Ignis had been locked in a chess deathmatch with Noctis (Ignis said it helped him stay sharp to play from memory alone) and Prompto had been colouring with Ardyn.

Closing his book with a sigh, Gladio hoisted himself off the supremely comfortable couch and crouched next to his adopted son slash future evil genius (unless they were super careful).  The boy had neatly packed away all his crayons and was sitting on his chair. His tiny fingers moved over the picture he and Prompto had drawn together (chocobos - so. many. chocobos.) and he scratched at the one he had clearly made.  The waxy black marks turned grey as the crayon came away turning what Gladio assumed was a young Yoji into a grandpa.

“What’re you talking about? You just had a snack, like, half an hour ago.” And Gladio wasn’t exaggerating.  He could see the colour-coded clock and schedule that Ignis had made up for the toddler. The green ‘snack time’ section was 35 minutes ago.

“I’m still hungry!” And man, the kid sure knew how to milk it.  His little eyes were already pretty big but that trembling little lip and those flared nostrils sold it.  Gladio couldn’t help himself - he was pretty weak when it came to a child’s plight. Probably stemmed from having to look after Iris all those years ago.

Gladio knew he didn’t look it but he was probably the biggest pushover around when it came to children and their sad faces.  He could put on a brave face when he had to, but if there was a good reason for distress (and wanting food was  _ always _ a good reason), Gladio turned to mush.

“Okay, okay.” Gladio consoled, fluffing up Ardyn’s hair to bring a bit of spark back into the kid’s eyes. It worked. “Let’s go find Iggy and see what we can rustle up.”

“Yay!” Suddenly (but not surprisingly) Ardyn gained a boost of energy and dashed out of the room.  It was clear from the pitter-pattering of little feet on the marble that he was headed in the direction of the kitchen. 

Gladio stood up and pushed Ardyn’s chair in, preventing it from tripping anyone should someone forget to turn on the lights when night fell. Gladio had been in many battles, from fast and furious to slow and burning, but he’d never experienced the same kind of agony that one tiny block underfoot could wring from his person. That swear jar of Ignis’s got a couple hundred gil richer overnight more than a few times since Ardyn joined the household.

Thankfully Ardyn was always mighty apologetic.  Lots of tears. Lots of ‘ _ i’m sorry!’ _ Lots of hugs. It soothed everything but Gladio’s wounded pride.  The mighty Gladiolus Amicitia, taken down by a fucking toy. 

Okay, so he might have hammed it up a bit.  Worth it, one hundred percent, especially given how well he was taken care of later that night.  There was nothing quite like three men utterly devoted to you to heal all wounds.

Gladio followed in Ardyn’s little footsteps and made his way to the kitchen. The closer he got he could hear the quiet rumblings of someone else talking to Ardyn. Ignis, he guessed, because the man had an unhealthy obsession with cooking and baking even as he adamantly refused to admit he enjoyed it all.

Ignis still cooked all their meals unless he was sick or away from home.  Heck, even if he was away he often prepared things in advance with detailed instructions on how to heat everything up.  Thank Shiva their freezers were so big. 

Gladio didn’t know what they’d do without Ignis, really.  The rest of them… sure, they could make basic meals. Gladio was good at noodles, no surprise there.  Noct could make a mean scrambled egg.

And Prompto was somehow fucking amazing at making crepes?  Not pancakes - those he would screw up time and time again.  It made no sense to Gladio but maybe it was the blond’s way of ensuring pancakes were never on the menu?  They seemed pretty much the same to Gladio but hey, everyone had a different talent. Prompto could burn water but make crepes delicious enough to induce multiple orgasms… or maybe that’s what came later when everyone got around to thanking the chef of the day for breakfast.  There was a correlation for sure.

Gladio paused as he entered the room and leaned against the doorframe, just watching Ardyn and Ignis interact.

Ignis was good with kids - he’d practically raised Noctis after all - but he was a bit out of practice so even though Ardyn had been under their care for a while now, Ignis still seemed stiff.  Thankfully Ardyn was developing some damn good vocabulary skills. He couldn’t repeat the words that Iggy used verbatim but his comprehension was definitely off the charts compared to a ‘normal’ boy of his age.

Ardyn was seated at the kitchen table - a huge wooden thing that could have probably sat at least a dozen.  He didn’t use a high chair anymore. “Too big” for that, he’d said. Instead he sat on a maroon coloured cushion atop a regular adult chair.  Noct had chosen that. And so no one could ever mistake Ardyn’s seat for their own, the tot had covered the back of it in car stickers.

No matter how many sheets of stickers Ardyn got from the stores, from friends, from… heck, anyone who knew who his fathers were, he only paid attention to the red cars.  There were countless abandoned sticker sets with other vehicles but no, he only wanted red.

Gladio was already dreading the teenage years and Ardyn wasn’t even  _ close _ to elementary age.

_ Fuck _ . He felt so old.  Chasing around a toddler for half the day really worked those muscles you forgot you had.  He had a twinge in his lower back that had been bothering him all day, and he had a bruise on his wrist that appeared out of nowhere.

_ Kids. _

There was a small  _ click _ as Ignis put a bowl of fruit down for Ardyn to eat.  Ardyn could be super picky but usually if someone else ate what he was hesitant to try, all bets were off.  He also had a remarkably healthy appetite for someone who claimed to hate vegetables.

“I want cookies.” Ardyn announced as he licked juice from his fingers.  Some sort of citrus fruit, Gladio guessed. He’d moved closer to the table as Ardyn ate and had somehow gotten conned into buying groceries for Iggy after Ardyn went to bed (before that and Ardyn would want to come too which would turn the forty minute trip into four hours).  

To ensure Gladio wouldn’t make any mistakes (Ignis’s words, not his), Gladio was prompted to call just before he reached the checkout and read every single item he’d picked up, just in case.  It was the same every time. Gladio learned quickly not to make any mistakes if only to save himself from Ignis’s disappointed tone.

He also didn’t read  _ all _ the labels out anyway.  He didn’t want Ignis or anyone else knowing that he sometimes gorged himself on moogle gummies on the way home from the store. But come on,  _ they were so good _ .

Anyways, Ignis was pretty anal but it worked for him.   _ Astrals above _ did it ever.  Anal was definitely one thing Gladio loved about Ignis.  Dirty implication  _ intended _ .

“Why don’t we make some together?” Ignis suggested as he took the empty bowl away and placed it in the sink to be washed later.  He walked with the confidence of a man who had spent years memorizing his terrain. “I have an excellent recipe for--”

“No.” Ardyn shook his head with great force. “I want  _ him _ .  Not you.”  Gladio couldn’t help his mouth from falling open in confusion when he saw that Ardyn meant  _ him _ .

“What?” Twin voices said at the same time, Gladio thinking it was a joke and Ignis looking mildly perturbed.  “Surely not.” Ignis finished. This time Gladio looked hurt.

“Gladdy, help me. Please?” Ardyn ignored Ignis and just… stared at Gladio.  And Gladio, being weak, couldn’t help but agree even if he knew they’d all regret it.  Besides, Ardyn said  _ please _ .  Gladio always had a little twinge of pride hit him everytime he saw other families around Insomnia because  _ their _ children didn’t use please and thank you while  _ his _ sort-of child always did. Ha-ha, suck on that lady who gave two men holding hands the stink eye.

“Yeah, sure thing bud. But are you sure? Iggy’s much better than me at this.”  Gladio could see Ignis nodding sagely from the corner of his eye.

“I’m sure.  You, not him.  He can watch.” Ardyn was adamant.

Well, that was a bit cruel.  Ardyn obviously didn’t mean anything by it, just spoke without thinking as only a child could, but of everything Ignis  _ could _ do in this situation, watching was… beyond the scope of possibilities.

“Sorry…” Gladio said softly towards Ignis who, in turn, sat down at the table and pulled out his phone. Whether he’d heard Gladio or not was unknown.  

Ignis began typing quickly and soon stopped, signaling whatever he’d done was now finished.  His phone was one of the newer models that both reacted to voice commands as a main feature and also had a pull-out keyboard.  Ignis had done so much typing over the years that even without his vision, he knew what letters were where. And even if the occasional mistake got past his defences, well, that’s what autocorrect was there for.

In the early days, before the phone had grown accustomed to Ignis’s use and frequency of specific words, Gladio had received a message with his name mistakenly written as ‘Daddy, oh”.  Ignis was horribly embarrassed and even though Gladio felt for the man, he still occasionally brought up his unintentional nickname when they were in bed.

He also kept that message saved. For posterity.

Gladio’s phone vibrated in his pocket and at Ignis’s significant stare (still piercing even through his glasses), Gladio took it out and read the message.

_ I am here if you need help.  Please do not destroy my kitchen. _

Rolling his eyes, Gladio pulled the box of recipes out from a cupboard and passed it to Ardyn, letting the cookie selection (the most important part of any baking experience) pass to the little guy.  

While Ardyn couldn’t read, Prompto had very helpfully glued pictures of past finished products to the backs of the cards while helped a lot. For all the recipes that Ignis had come up with recently (and man, the guy certainly came up with a lot of new recipes!) Prompto had included little doodles that, while cuter than the food usually would look, was a blessing.

“This one!” A well-worn card was handed over.  Gladio didn’t even need to read the name to know what it was: Kupoberry Thumbprint Cookies.  Unsurprisingly, Ignis’s speciality. And also, although he’d never admit to having a sweet tooth, his personal favourite.

Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat Gladio shot a quick look back toward Ignis.  

“Which one, Ardyn?” Came Ignis’s voice, curious and unaware of Gladio’s inner conflict.  But Ardyn was already distracted, going this way and that to gather the supplies he could reach that he knew they’d need.  Gladio opened his mouth but nothing came out.

But the silence was damning and Ignis wasn’t stupid.  He knew now, without a doubt. And Gladio was bummed to see how quickly Ignis’s face changed to melancholy.  It made sense to Gladio though. Up until now Ardyn had always gone to Ignis for food but now the little guy was changing tactics and going to someone else.  

Foolish or not, Ignis was probably feeling a little discarded. Gladio knew he would too when Ardyn eventually decided that he was too big for bear hugs or cuddles and decided he wanted to be showered with less affection.

Hopefully that day was far, far off. 

The one advantage to Ignis’s lack of sight was that his hearing had gotten scarily good.  And since he was always in the kitchen and everything had to be  _ just right _ , Ignis literally knew where everything was.

Gladio intentionally made his footsteps fall heavier than usual and he could see Ignis’s head twitch as he reoriented Gladio’s location with his mental map of the area.

“Let’s see… cleigne wheat flour…”  _ Tromp tromp tromp _ . Gladio moved to the cupboards where he assumed the flour would be.  

Ignis cleared his throat.

Gladio reversed and went back the way he’d come.  No noises from Ignis. Perfect, it was around here somewhere.

And with a clearing of the throat every once and again, and Gladio’s running commentary, soon all the supplies were gathered and it was up to Ardyn to add everything in order.  Gladio could follow those instructions easily.

Or so he thought.  As soon as all the dry ingredients were together Ardyn stirred a bit too strongly and spilled a good portion across the counter. Some even got on his toes and the stool he was standing on (since he was too short to reach the counter without one).  It didn’t look like enough to require extra additions (thank the Gods because Gladio wasn’t good enough to guess at how small a spoon he’d need to be exact) and Gladio praised Ignis’s attention to cleanliness because he just swept everything back into the bowl with a broad hand.

Which reminded him, neither he nor Ardyn had washed their hands.  Biting his lip, he made a mental note to do just that before they formed the cookies.  Stirring was  _ probably _ okay, right?  Baking would cook all the bacteria for sure. Probably.

Gladio was halfway through creaming the butter and eggs when his phone vibrated again.  He’d taken it out of his pocket beforehand and placed it on the counter for quick reading if his hands were dirty.

_ The recipe calls for creaming, not murdering. Lessen your force or the cookies won’t rise. _

Shit, of course he’d do something as simple as mixing badly.  Gladio couldn’t help but grimace even though he knew Ignis was right.  Ignis baked, Gladio did not. Still, a quick flash of irritation passed through his body like a hot flash.  He loved Iggy, he really did, but the man really needed to let other people take charge once in a while. And hells, if they fucked up, it was a learning opportunity, right?

Not that Gladio  _ would _ fuck up because Ignis  _ was _ coaching him.  And it was stupid to get annoyed over something so small.  Gladio just repeated to himself that Ignis knew best and wasn’t trying to correct him without good reason.  That helped… a bit.

With minimal interference from Ignis, Gladio and Ardyn eventually got all the dry and wet ingredients mixed and when it came time to roll the dough into balls, washed their hands.  Gladio had to stop Ardyn from pushing the soap dispenser too hard because the kid really had an odd fascination with bubbles. And with his overexcitement, some of the soap was bound to fly into the cookie prep area.

Ignis had gone back to his phone and Gladio could hear someone speaking.  Based on Ignis propping his head up with his hand instead of being attentive and sitting straight, it was clear he was listening to the news.  Sheesh, even when he had nothing to do Ignis still worked hard. Surely music was more relaxing than the news of the day? 

Take a spoonful of dough, roll it into a ball, place it on the baking sheet.  This kind of monotony  _ was _ nice, he could understand why Ignis liked being alone when he made food.  By the time everything was rolled there was only a tiny amount remaining on the spoon, certainly not enough for an actual cookie.  Gladio touching his lips with his index finger and motioned for Ardyn not to say a word as he presented the spoon for a thorough tongue cleaning.

Ardyn attacked it with gusto.

Then it was baking time.  They didn’t have too long to wait because the cookies had to come out when they were only partially baked to allow for fingerprinting and kupoberry jam addition.  Ardyn refused to use the small round spoon Gladio presented, preferring to dig his little thumb in even though it must have been really hot. He persevered, and within no time Gladio was spooning in the jam and placing the tray back in the oven to finish.

Gladio caught himself staring at Ignis more than once.  Ardyn was occupied with watching the cookies bake - Gladio placed the footstool far enough away so that Ardyn could see but not do any damage to himself.  Ignis was… looking happier. He was probably still a bit grumpy that Ardyn didn’t want his help but Gladio could tell that he secretly enjoyed having a little bit of spare time, even if it were forced on him.

The timer dinged and Gladio warned Ardyn to stay back as he took out the baked goods and cleared a space on the counter.  As they cooled Ardyn drew pictures in some of the spilled flour that Gladio hadn’t cleaned up.

Then, finally, it was time to eat!  Ardyn busied himself with gathering and plating (one plate only, oddly) and Gladio stayed out of the way except to help the kid down from the stool so he didn’t drop his prize on the way to the table.

“Present for you!” Ardyn said proudly as he brought over the plate of freshly baked cookies and placed it gently on the table.  He’d arranged them himself into what Gladio now saw as a smiley face. Ignis raised his hand and skimmed it over the surface, feeling the heat and, because he was amazingly observant even without her eyesight, discerning the positioning precisely.

“Oh Ardyn…” Ignis replied, his voice wavering slightly.  “Such a lovely gift, and it isn’t even my birthday. Thank you.” He reached over and Ardyn bowed his head so Ignis could rustle his hair without any problem.

Ardyn crossed his arms and pretended to act annoyed but Gladio could see the huge smile on his face and Ignis probably felt the warmth on his face.  “I can give you presents anytime, silly. Your birthday is different.”

“That’s true, you’re very right.” Ignis chuckled as Ardyn straightened up.  Ignis followed the curve of Ardyn’s cheek with his finger and bopped his nose. “Thank you so much.”

Ardyn didn’t even try to hide his smile this time.  “Eat! These are only for you. Oh!” He exclaimed as Ignis intended to do just so. “Wait, I forgot, they’re hot. You have to blow first.” And with childlike eagerness he proceeded to puff out his cheeks and blow with all his might.  Ignis waited until the huffing stopped before speaking.

“Okay?”

“Okay!” 

And Ignis picked up one of the three cookies that made the ‘mouth’ and took a large bite. “Delicious! My compliments to the chef!”

Ardyn somehow found the strength to grin even harder as he poked Gladio in the stomach. “That’s me, you know. Not you. He likes me best.” So matter of fact.  Definitely someone raised by Ignis.

“I can tell.  I’m super jealous.” Gladio replied with a straight face. It took all his might not to crack when Ardyn looked uncomfortable and motioned for Gladio to bend down.

“I’m just joking.” He whispered as softly as a child possibly could, which meant Ignis could probably hear everything. “He loves you too, don’t worry.”

“I’ll try not to.” Gladio whispered back with a wink.  

Ardyn whispered something else, closer this time to ensure only Gladio could hear, only to be startled by a loud noise from another room.

“Hey!” Came a sudden exclamation. “Do I smell cookies?” Prompto’s voice filtered in and Ardyn bounced in place in excitement. “We want some too!”

“Sure, come on!” Ardyn dashed off to get Prompto (and Noctis, most likely - it was clear they had gone out together) leaving Gladio and Ignis alone.

“Sorry to hone in on your territory, Iggy.” Gladio said, rubbing the back of his neck in remorse. “But he seemed pretty adamant so…”

“No apologies necessary.  This is not my kitchen, after all, it’s everyone’s.”  Ignis said as he popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth.  A small dab of jam clung to his lower lip and Gladio couldn’t stop staring. Surely Ignis felt it…?

Giving in, Gladio leaned over and gave Ignis a peck on the lips followed by a quick swipe of his tongue to clean off the mess.  He could feel Ignis’s lips curve up as he did so.

“You knew I’d do that, didn’t you.” Gladio accused, pressing another kiss to the soft, scarred lips in front of him.

“Of course.  Your predictability is one of the things I love so much about you.”

Gladio laughed at that and tucked a strand of hair behind Ignis’s ear. It looked really good down.

“You wanna know what he said to me?”

“Was it not intended for your ears only?”

“Maybe.” Gladio admitted, shrugging. “But I think he knew I’d tell you anyway.”

“Then by all means.” Ignis sounded intrigued. “Spoil away.”

Gladio took one of Ignis’s hands in his and squeezed lightly.  “He told me that you need a break sometimes. And that the rest of us should get off our asses and help out around the house more.”

Ignis laid his free hand atop Gladio’s and patted it with affection. “He said all that, did he?”

“Well.” Gladio began. “I may have paraphrased a bit.”

There was a snort and Ignis chuckled as well. Then he took back his hand and pushed back from the table.  Gladio stopped him with a hand to the shoulder.

“No, you sit.  I’ll clean up. Ardyn’s right, you need to relax too. Share the responsibility a bit, would you?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

There was chatter from the hallway outside as Ardyn returned, leading Noct and Prompto in.  He held both their hands in a deathgrip and was talking excitedly about ‘his’ cookies. Gladio would have to fill the both of them in a little later because, yeah, Ardyn was right about sharing responsibility. He could barely zip up his own jacket without help but he seemed remarkably perceptive when it came to his adopted dads and their needs.

It was amazing, really.  Them all needing a child just as much as he needed them.

And, as Gladio removed himself from Ignis to gather up some plates and cups for cookies and milk, he let the happiness in the air infect him as well.

Who’d have thought their mortal enemy would turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to them?

**Author's Note:**

> Did jeejaschocolate awaken a monster with her bb Ardyn idea? She did. THIS IS ALL ON YOU, DEAR. <3 xoxo


End file.
